(An extract from ‘Be Peace’, Sheena St Clair Jonker)
‘If you are lucky in this life,
A window will appear between two armies on a battlefield.
Instead of seeing their enemies in the window, the soldiers
See themselves as children. They stop fight-
Ing and go home
And sleep. When they wake up, the land is
Well again.’[i]
As I write this, we are around seven days into Israel having declared war on Hammas. This follows an attack on Israel on 7 October 2023. The context is a long and complex conflict that arose between Israel and Palestine following the establishment of the State of Israel.
The energetics for war in this world are extremely high right now. So, I believe, is the potential for peace.
In the wisdom tradition, each person would understand their own power and agency and would exercise circumspection and reverence in their own thoughts, words and deeds. This would be the product of increasing self-awareness and an expanded consciousness. On this basis, any work done to become more aware and conscious beings in this world is a contribution to this world and, in particular a contribution to the increase of peace on earth.
In the wisdom tradition, it was thought that if we were at war with one person in our lives, then we were contributing the kind of energy that was required to start, run and sustain war in this world.
The corollary would be that if we were making peace in one relationship, in the world around us, we were contributing to the increase of peace on earth.
It is on this basis that we are able to understand clearly that each of us can and does contribute to war in this world and, moreover, that each of us can and does contribute to the establishment of peace on earth.
As we become more aware, either through intentional conscious work, or through an encounter with great love (generally a liminal experience) or great suffering, we start to choose consciously which we want to contribute to: war or peace.
It is thought that Christ was a product of the wisdom tradition. It is no wonder then that more than two thousand years ago he was teaching about the significant impact our thoughts and intentions may have. ‘You’ve heard it taught that you should not murder’, he might have said, ‘but I tell you that if you hate your brother or sister in your heart, you are already guilty of murder.’
Might this have been because he knew the power of the individual’s thoughts and intentions and that they affect the whole thing.
Alan Watts said something to the effect of
‘You are part of what the entire universe is doing in the same way that a wave is part of what the entire ocean is doing.’
Our awareness of how powerful we are could change everything.
Our thoughts, words and deeds can contribute to war in this world or help to establish peace on earth.
We get to choose:
War or Peace
Email: Sheena@adr-networksa.co.za
(For speaker engagements, to train with us or to retain the services of a mediator)
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